HACKENSACK, N.J. — After months of advocacy from City of Hackensack officials and residents, the Teterboro Airport Noise Abatement Advisory Committee (TANAAC) voted in support of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s plans to enact a new alternate flight path into Teterboro Airport at Wednesday night’s meeting. The new flight path that would reduce the number of low-flying planes traveling over Hackensack University Medical Center and high-rise apartment buildings on Prospect Avenue has been discussed for over a year.

“We are grateful for the cooperation the FAA and TANAAC have shown in reaching this resolution, and I would like to particularly thank the many residents who attended public meetings, called the FAA reporting low flying planes and joined us in this effort over the past several months,” said Hackensack Deputy Mayor Kathleen Canestrino. “This was not an issue we were about to abandon and I’m glad alternative flight plans could be worked out. We look forward to the FAA moving forward in the process to enable this alternate flight path, moving west to the current flight path to closely follow Route 17 and avoid the many high-rise apartments on Prospect Avenue and HUMC."

The FAA tested a new flight plan for six months last year, known as the “quiet visual approach,” which took planes along the Route 17 corridor but was ultimately used very little by pilots, who preferred to rely on their instruments to land their planes as opposed to using visual checkpoints. The new plan will allow pilots to use the alternate path while utilizing their navigational equipment, which city officials believe will result in much better usage than the original visual-only flight test.

Canestrino said between FAA studies and environmental research, it could take 18 months before the new plans are fully-implemented. If their studies conclude this as a feasible solution, it will become the new alternate flight path.

For any additional information please contact Philip Swibinski at 201-864-0600 or philip.swibinski@vmmi.net.